Chocoholics can walk away their food cravings with a 15 minute stroll, study reveals

If it’s that time of day when you start craving chocolate then why not go for a walk instead. Experts have found that a walk of just fifteen minutes can reduce the chocolate cravings of chocaholics.
The benefits of exercise in helping people manage dependencies on nicotine and other drugs have previously been recognised. Now, for the first time, newly-published research shows that the same may be true for food cravings.
Following three days of abstinence, 25 regular chocolate eaters were asked to either complete a 15-minute brisk walk or rest. They then engaged in tasks that would normally induce chocolate cravings, including a mental challenge and opening a chocolate bar.
After exercise participants reported lower cravings than after rest.
Cravings were not only reduced during the walk, but for at least ten minutes afterwards.
The exercise also limited increases in cravings in response to the two tasks.
The research was carried out by scientists at the University of Exeter and reported in the medical journal Appetite.
Professor Adrian Taylor who did the research said: «Our on-going work consistently shows that brief bouts of physical activity reduce cigarette cravings, but this is the first study to link exercise to reduced chocolate cravings».